Roofing has always been a particularly difficult avocation. Putting up roofs not only requires the lifting of heavy tools and materials, but also necessitates that this be done high above the ground and during the heat of the day. The problems are compounded when the pitch of a roof is steep or the roofing materials are slick. The possibility of a life-threatening slip and fall is ever present.
To lessen the risk of injury, roofers have proposed guard rails and tethering devices for attachment to roofs and other stable portions of buildings. Unfortunately, these things have been complex in their construction and difficult to install, particularly on standing seam roofs formed of interlocking metal sheets that have few convenient mounting places. Thus, they have seen little use outside of areas where they are mandated by law.